Rajon Rondo is now the man in Boston. After the Celtics opted to trade away veteran superstars, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, to the Brooklyn Nets, the point guard is now the biggest name on the roster. Throughout Rondo's time in Boston, he has battled the spotlight with Garnett and Pierce. He found his niche as a player, leaving the leadership up to the veterans. Now as he is the lone piece remaining, Rondo is turning back to Garnett for advice.
When Rondo returns healthy to the team, he will be the veteran amongst the younger roster. With head coach Doc Rivers also gone, Rondo will be expected to display plenty of leadership on and off the court. This is a new role for the dynamic point guard who always let Garnett and Pierce be the voices in the locker room. As a result, Garnett has been mentoring Rondo on how to take over.
"About leadership. I feel like one of the things I always tried to stress to him is, when you're a leader, you lead by example. It's not a lot about what you say, it's a lot about what you do," Garnett told MassLive.com.
The newly signed Brooklyn Nets star has been feeding Rondo with his biggest pieces of advice. The Celtics have a new coach fresh out of the college ranks and plenty of unproven talent on the roster to help rebuild the franchise. Garnett believes Rondo can help bring the Celtics back to the top if he pushes the team the right way.
"Absolutely. I'm sure he's going to push them to make the team better, and (president of basketball operations Danny Ainge) is going to do just that. The franchise has always been used to winning. They have a new coach and new system up there, so I'm thinking that's going to be a plus. I wish them all the best, man. I have no ill will towards anything in Boston," Garnett said.
Next season begins the rebuilding phase for the Celtics. Rondo will be the cornerstone piece in every move Ainge makes. The point guard is returning from a torn ACL suffered last season and has promised to be committed in returning and working with all the new pieces on the court. It is understood that Rondo defines the future for the team. If he can take Garnett's advice to heart, the Celtics should do just fine.
